A'S NOTEBOOK / Slumping Crosby gets some time off

Published 4:00 am, Thursday, August 19, 2004

2004-08-19 04:00:00 PDT Baltimore -- Stuck in a 3-for-39 skid, rookie shortstop Bobby Crosby got the night off Wednesday, giving him two full days of rest when combined with today's off day.

Crosby's absence from the lineup had nothing to do with the back spasms he had more than a week ago.

"It's nothing injury-related," Crosby said. "I guess it's good not to think about (the slump) for a day, but at the same time, I hate not playing. I'd rather get in there and get a couple of knocks and get out of it that way. "

Manager Ken Macha said, "It's to give him a rest physically and mentally. ... I think he beats himself up after every at-bat if he doesn't get a hit. Sometimes, you just need to sit and relax. He'll be back in there on Friday."

Since missing two games with back spasms seven games earlier, Crosby had gone 1-for-23. He has been doing a lot of extra hitting to try to snap out of it.

"I think my swing is OK," he said. "I've just got too much movement in my body and I'm jumping at the ball. I have to tone it down."

Garcia sent down: When Arthur Rhodes came off the disabled list Wednesday, ultra-hyped rookie Jairo Garcia was sent down to Triple-A Sacramento to work on a few things that the coaching staff has noticed since he was called up 10 days ago, such as going to his mouth on the mound and potentially balking while he gets signs.

"I think he has some polishing up to do," Macha said. "He's got a bright future here."

Garcia, 21, allowed three runs in each of his past two outings, but the A's were impressed with his high-90s fastball, good slider and changeup. He will be recalled when the rosters expand in September. He would be eligible for a postseason roster spot, if needed, as long as pitcher Kirk Saarloos is still on the DL at the end of the month.

Briefly: Mark Mulder picked off Brian Roberts in the fifth inning for the A's major-league-leading 23rd pickoff of the season. ... Oakland has won a season-high five consecutive road games. ... Reliever Chad Bradford (back spasms) was scheduled to play catch at Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday and to pitch an inning tonight for the River Cats. If all goes well, he would go again Saturday and be activated when the team returns to Oakland on Monday. ... Barry Zito said Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown mischaracterized Zito's relationship with actress Alyssa Milano in a Matier & Ross column in Wednesday's Chronicle. Zito said he and Milano have mutual friends, and she had come to see him pitch in the last homestand. But they are good friends rather than dating, as Brown told Matier & Ross. "That was his misconception, " Zito said.